Pawlenty Will Take Extra Medicaid Funds

Today, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who’s apparently trying to build GOP party cred by bucking the Affordable Care Act, said he will take about $260 million in Medicaid funds approved by the Obama Administration.

Last week, Pawlenty signed an executive order banning state agencies from applying for grant funding provided by the new law. This is a popular stance among conservatives who see any attempt to resist the law as a positive, but Pawlenty was heavily criticized by some groups on the front lines of health care in his state, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Mayo Clinic.

Pawlenty rightly notes that this latest round in Medicaid funding is not a result of the Affordable Care Act, but it’s still Obamacare as much as anything else. The legislation authorizing the extra Medicaid boost to states was championed by the President and passed the Senate and House along party lines.